


Gossip Between Friends

by Breathesgirl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Female Friendship, Hermione's Personal Library
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 21:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19753915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breathesgirl/pseuds/Breathesgirl
Summary: Gossip between friends.





	Gossip Between Friends

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this one.  
> Thanks to Hermione's Haven for hosting.

“Really?” Hermione asked her friend as they sat down at an outdoor café for lunch. “You’re  _ still  _ stuck on Ronald Weasley?” She was truly exasperated with Lavender. She still remembered the days of ‘Won-Won’ and their snogging in full view of everyone within the Gryffindor common room and was still just as disgusted as she had been at the time.

Lavender nodded, “I  _ have  _ grown up quite a bit since then Hermione,” she said, her own exasperation evident in her tone.

Hermione placed her hand on Lavender’s, “I know you have. You’ve become quite a respectable witch, even if you do write a gossip column! At least you have a few morals, more than that hack Skeeter, at any rate!” Before they picked up their menus.

Lavender smiled behind her menu, “she was my role model for a long time, you know. When it came time to declare my major, I took a long hard look at myself and those I emulated. I saw how much she hurt those she wrote about, especially you and Harry, and Ron, and decided that even though I wanted to write, I didn’t have to be exactly like her, or any of them. I decided I could be myself. I could be truthful. I could speculate, but I had no interest in harming someone with my words.”

Hermione stared at her, mouth slightly agape, before clearing her throat and nodding, “I’d noticed you had rather gotten away from slandering those you were whispering about in the dorms.”

Lavender looked slyly over the top of her menu, “in our eighth year I watched the three of you closely, and I saw something I hadn’t realized before. I saw how honest you,” she nodded towards Hermione, “were with everyone. I saw how Harry and Ron asked your opinion on things, and how they listened to you, and eventually followed your advice. I saw how others came to you for advice, too.”

Hermione’s jaw dropped: She hadn’t realized that at all.

Lavender continued, “I adopted you as a role model.” She laughed quietly at the war of emotions flitting across Hermione’s face. “You hadn’t realized that happened, had you,” she said. “You have strong morals Hermione, they have morphed and changed as you grew older, but the core ones are still there, deep inside,” she shrugged, “so I decided that I could still tell people the gossip, but I could do it ethically, morally, without truly hurting anybody.”

“Really?” Hermione squeaked when she could speak again, “you,” she took a steadying breath, “you wanted to be like me?”

Lavender’s smile brightened, delighted that she’d managed to surprise her friend and secret mentor and asked, “why wouldn’t I? You’re pretty, you’re smart, you’ve got morals a lot of witches would kill for, and you’ve got the friendship of two of the most eligible bachelors within the wizarding world. Who wouldn’t want something like that?

“I was jealous of you in Hogwarts, you know.”

Hermione’s mouth dropped open again; she shook her head, “you were jealous? Of me?” 

Lavender nodded and smirked, “you have always been pretty, but you didn’t seem to care about that. You had friends who would have done anything for you, and did so from time to time. You were smart, you could grasp the simplest of concepts with seemingly no problem, you didn’t stoop so low as to gossip about others or say something about someone that you wouldn’t say to their face. You got to punch Malfoy!”

Hermione smiled at the memory of punching Malfoy, “that was a good day, though, when I punched Malfoy. He did grow to at least be a tolerable wizard though: I don’t feel like punching him in his smug face every time he opens his mouth now.”

Lavender laughed and shook her head, “No, only every second time now.  _ It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be _ , and it seems he’s grown up some, just like the rest of us.”

“I think that has a lot to do with his wife though: Astoria won’t stand for his foolishness, and he knows it.” Hermione’s eyes brightened as she remembered the news she’d heard the night before, “did you hear the news?” Lavender leaned over the table, face alight with the delight of the gathering of gossip, “Astoria’s pregnant!” Hermione whispered excitedly.

Lavender’s hand went to her mouth as she squealed, “Already?” She took a breath to calm herself as Hermione nodded, “they’ve only been married six months!”

Hermione smirked, “I know! And according to what I was told, it was all natural. No potions, no rituals, nothing but good old fashioned sex!” They both giggled and blushed furiously.

“That’s not so surprising, really. Draco was conceived naturally, as was Astoria. And their families have never really married close family, preferring very distant relations, or someone from another country.”

Hermione looked at the Queen of Gossip, a slight wrinkle between her brows, “How do you know all these things? Who talks about whether they were conceived naturally or with a fertility potion?”

Lavender laughed, “it’s not talked about in polite society, but the news is passed like we’re doing now: friends talking, having lunch,” she shrugged, “there are a lot of well known secrets if you care to think about it. Besides, it’s my job to know the who’s who of the Wizarding World and what they’re getting up to these days,” she finished her drink and waved the waitress over for the bill.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to share some of those well known secrets would you?” Hermione asked.

Lavender laughed and put some galleons on the table, “another time, my friend, I’ve got a deadline to beat and, if I can confirm the facts on time, this will make this evening’s edition.”

Hermione sighed and put the money down for her portion while mentally going over her schedule so she could pin Lavender down for some of that gossip.


End file.
